TGO Daily | Friday July 2, 2021 | Sony Acquires Nixxes
Sony acquires Nixxes Software, Kojima & Microsoft proceed further with a game deal, Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster gets a release date, and some info on Ghosts of Tsushima Director's Cut.
TGO Daily | Friday July 2, 2021
✏️From the Author
Regarding the headline, Sony is really moving to buy up some studios. Assuming the likely rumor that they’ve acquired Bluepoint Games as well, that’s three studios brought under the Sony banner this week. They’re making careful and smart choices so far to help build up in areas they’re more lacking in.
I’m beginning to wonder if there are more studios around the corner waiting to be announced by Sony. If so, we’ll find out soon enough!
Until next time,
Brandon
Sony Acquires Nixxes Software
Sony officially announced on Thursday that they’ve acquired Nixxes Software - the behind-the-scenes technical studio behind the PC ports of the latest Tomb Raider series, Deus Ex: Mankind Divided, and Marvel’s Avengers.
This announcement follows up their acquisition of Housemarque from earlier in the week. We still don’t have any word if Sony has acquired Bluepoint Games yet, but it still seems likely as the accidental leak was from a credible Sony account.
Much like with Housemarque, Sony already has a relationship with Nixxes and, with their skills and experience in porting games, they could prove to be quite the asset. Head of PlayStation Studios, Hermen Hulst, elaborated on their experience with the company:
Brandon’s Thoughts: For now, we don’t know what to specifically expect with this acquisition. Sony had some solid success with some of their first-party titles going over to PC. The games weren’t the best or the worst ports however, so bringing in a studio with loads of porting experience could be quite an asset. Could we see Bloodborne or Spider-Man come to the PC down the road from this? Only time will tell.
Microsoft & Kojima Hit a Milestone in their Negotiations
VentureBeat reported that negotiations are still happening and that Microsoft is in the advanced stages of their deal to publish the next Hideo Kojima game. The deal is not yet finalized, but it did hit a big milestone when Microsoft and Kojima signed a letter of intent - which indicates both parties intend to work out details for publishing agreement on a new game. This would be the second game from Kojima’s new studio, following Death Stranding.
Microsoft is reportedly already beginning preparations for Kojima. One of these being appointing Kim Swift (developer for Portal, Left 4 Dead) to oversee partnerships for cloud-based games. Swift formerly worked for Google Stadia, and as such brings well-rounded experience to the platform.
What does Cloud Gaming have to do with Kojima? It’s all still speculation, but Kojima expressed interest in 2019 that his next game be formatted with the Cloud in mind. It’s certainly a unique prospect so, if you’re a fan of Kojima, I recommend keeping an eye out for more info as it comes along.
“I think within the next few years, gaming will move on to streaming. Movies, dramas and games will all be streamed and you’ll enjoy them on your iPad or iPhone or a screen anytime, anywhere… When that happens, games, films and dramas will have to compete in the same space. I’m very interested in the new format of game that will appear on there and that’s what I want to take on.”
Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster Sets Release Date for First Three Titles
On Thursday Square Enix announced that the pixel remasters for Final Fantasy, Final Fantasy 2, and Final Fantasy 3 will be releasing on July 28th. The release dates for 4, 5 and 6 in the series has not yet been announced.
The remasters will feature updated 2D pixel character and background graphics, rearranged soundtracks (overseen by original composer Nobuo Uematsu), improved gameplay, auto-battle option, illustration gallery, music player, and the ability to save at any time.
For those of you looking for the nostalgia kick or looking to play what started it all, you can purchase the games individually or all 6 in a bundle. They’ll be releasing for mobile and PC.
Ghost of Tsushima Director’s Cut Receives Release Date
The Director’s Cut of the game is slated to release on PS4 & PS5 on August 20th. The cut will have all the content from the original release, along with a new chapter in the protagonist’s story.
The new storyline, “Iki”, will add new characters and environments, new horse armor, new enemies, new animals, new mini-games, new techniques, new Trophies, and more. The PS5 version will have some additional features such as, faster load times, 3D audio enhancements, 4k resolution options, frame rates ‘targeting’ 60fps, and lip sync for the Japanese voice overs.
The full-price of the game will be $59.99 USD for the PS4 and $69.99 USD for the PS5. If you already own the original edition, you can upgrade to the Director’s Cut edition for $19.99 USD on the PS4 and $29.99 USD on the PS5.
If you haven’t played the game yet, then this edition is definitely a good time to jump in. For those who have played it, it seems like we’ll get more info on the traumas of Jin’s past as he explores Iki, so it should definitely be interesting.
🔦 Article Spotlight
Designing unsettling 'hidden horror' with Layers of Fear dev Bloober Team
Rafal Basaj, producer at Bloober Team, discusses Layers of Fear and the genre of horror in general. This is the team that is rumored to be getting a Silent Hill game. Basaj gives an interesting breakdown on how to make horror work within a video game.
🕹 Free Games
Epic Games Store has announced their latest free titles for July. Take a look at them and claim it while it’s still the best price you can ask for - free!
Epic Games Store
The Spectrum Retreat - Now - July 8
Bridge Constructor: The Walking Dead - July 8 - July 15
Ironcast - July 8 - July 15
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Thanks for the read <3